New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-17
GREAT ACTIVITY IN SPRING TRADE
BRISK BUSINESS OF WHOLESALE FIRMS

ENCOURAGING REPORTS FROM TIE DRY-GooDS
CLOTHING, BOOT AND SHOE MEN.
Travelling In the dry goods district Is by NJ means
easy or convenient. Ii one Is coming down town by
the West Broadway surface roads often finds the
street blocked for I've ten minutes at time while
long string Of loaded drays passes over the track at
the ne 1t street II Is walking down any OF
the streets bet Broadway and Church-st., one
has to take the middle of the street and dodge under
the horses heads for the sidewalks are piled high
| with huge boxes and packing casos. The dry-goods
district Is especially busy with what Is called spring
| trade A TRIBUNE reporter visited many OF the
arget houses yesterday, and tried to obtain some In
formation to the amount OF business being done
But IN most instances the stores were crowded with
buyers and the merchants too occupied to say more
| tnan that spring trade had been brisk 30 far. AT
Durham. Buckley s. Cos. warehouse in broadway the
reporter was told
.Yes 1t is an excellent spring business. The
volume OF trade has been larger than last year-and
that as better than the year before. We think the
outlook favorable tor q prosp erous year"
Sweetser Pembroke a. Co. said Trade has been
unusually good this year. and especially during the
last weeks or course when the freight-handlers
strikes were on. they interfered with trade little
Il didn't hurt tho merchants much, however. Toward
tho close OF the strikes buyers waited to soc what
the end was likely to be- there was no use In buying
goods II they could not be shipped But this lnterup
ton was of short duration. ana few days brisk bust
ness brought up the trade again tuink you will find
most OF the dry Us merchants looking happy.
They did look happy-all OF those called upon at
any rate and composite photograph of their various
opinions upon the state of business would read;
Business ia brisk extremely brisk 1t is not what may
| be called boom, but it is much like It,
Among the wholesale boot and shoe merchants thor
| was q general improvement reported. For the finer
class OF goods the demand Is better than 1t has been
for several years. All the factories are said to be
running on full time, and some OF them almost night
land day Orders for the lower class OF goods are much
improved. This trade materially interfered with
by the Western srikest fleet VI which VAS TO leave
| many merchants the Western cities with larger
stocks than they could we'll handle. These have W
| been worked Off and wholesale dealers aie again
| doing far business
The same cause led to dulness In the wholesale cloth
ing Ia this the country merchants do not
to have entirely ep0vered from the disturbance to
their business resulting from the strikes The spring
trade In this line has, therefore, been tre slack,
and the merchants called upon by the reporter while
not saying macy words that business was not up
that OF last season, showed In their manner much
less pride In the general prosperity oi the Nation than
their nelly hbors who deal In dry goods. "No" SAID
one Of them who refused to DO quoted the jobbng
trade generally has been disappointment this season
The spring business IL more than twothrds over, and
| the result is discouraging"
None OF the merchants or their customers seem "a
have been much disturbed by the change In freight
rates caused by the Interstate Commerce law, nc
cases were heard OF in which goods had been bought
on the chance of in rates. The Lly tradesmen
that appear to take any interest IN TINS matter arc the
grocers. MIR. Wallace, OF r. Ii. Lrggett u Co., said
EWhy, have sat up night after night poriug over
that Interstate Commerce law, and the many hand
books that have been published to explain il. We
have lots and lots OF letters from our country
customers, asking tor information about 1t and its
probable result freights. But suppose We shall
have to wait for the commission to tell US what the
law 49, before torn any opinion as to its results
Our customers bu, ing largely. but none oil them
with the idea that ireights may be Increased
Other Wholesale grocsrs reported the trade to be
unusually large this spring and 1t added that the
collections from country customers were extremely
good tor the time OF the year. thus showing that there
"a business prosperity noticeable all over the country
Some OF the largest all dealers called Upon,
such as Macy g. Co., Denning CO.. Rogers peet &
Co. and Others. They one and ali reported large!
expressed full confidence that the prosperity ct which
tho Increased business u substantial evidence would
last.